Chapter 234

Kisuke Urahara landed on the edge of the ruins, his sleeves bulging with several medicine bottles.

Tessai Tsukabishi followed closely behind, his tall body kicking up a cloud of dust as he landed.

Urahara's gaze swept across the entire ruins, the Hollowfication captains and vice-captains lying on the ground, the surging Reiatsu in the air, and Unohana and Wang Xun fighting fiercely on the battlefield.

His gaze lingered on Wang Xun for a moment.

That level of Hollowfication, with a bone mask completely covering the body, even sprouting horns, clad in bone armor, and those eerie patterns.

Goodness, this is several orders of magnitude stronger than when we tested it in the underground cavern of Sōkyoku Hill...

But is this behavior out of control?

Just as Kisuke Urahara frowned in thought, a sense of foreboding creeping in, he met Wang Xun's gaze.

In that fleeting glance, Kisuke Urahara clearly saw the resentment in Wang Xun's eyes, as if he was annoyed that he had arrived too late.

Urahara's eyes flickered slightly; as intelligent as he was, he instantly understood Wang Xun's thoughts.

Wang Xun retained his consciousness; his current behavior was an act.

That means Aizen is still nearby.

He needs someone to come to his rescue at the right time.

"Captain Unohana, hang in there a little longer, I've brought the antidote!"

Urahara shouted, loud enough for everyone on the ruins to hear.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xun knew that things were stable. He then gradually withdrew his Hollowfication and began to show signs of weakness in his battle with Unohana, with more and more wounds appearing on his body.

Then, Unohana slashed down with her sword, splitting open the mask on Wang Xun's face, and Wang Xun fell to the ground with a thud.

Without the aid of High-Speed Regeneration, Wang Xun's body was covered in blood from numerous wounds, making him look exceptionally pitiful.

Kisuke Urahara was some distance away, stuffed several medicine bottles into Tessai Tsukabishi's hands, grabbed some for himself, and rushed as fast as he could towards Shinji Hirako, who was lying on the ground closest to them.

"Great Kidō Priest, you can handle the ones on the left, I'll take care of the ones on the right. Just force them down!"

Tessai Tsukabishi took the medicine bottle without asking any questions and turned to rush towards Love Aikawa's direction.

Urahara squatted down next to Shinji Hirako, pried open his mouth, and poured the medicine into his mouth.

Hirako's body jolted violently the moment the medicine entered his throat, and the spread of the half-mask covering his face noticeably slowed.

Subsequently, the chaotic Reiatsu within his body ceased its violent activity and gradually stabilized.

At the same time, Tessai Tsukabishi had already given the potion to Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and Hachigen Ushōda, and the same suppressive effect appeared on the masks of the three of them one after another.

On the distant hillside, Aizen's gaze turned cold.

This was something he hadn't expected.

He was genuinely startled when he heard about the antidote.

Fortunately, it only suppresses the symptoms and cannot reverse the Hollowfication process.

Kisuke Urahara actually developed this thing.

Without a doubt, the material was provided by the Hollowfication on Wang Xun's body.

Urahara used Wang Xun to advance the research on the Hollowfication the Hōgyoku, and Urahara also devised a countermeasure.

The Hollowfication Inhibitor, although it seems immature, can only temporarily suppress the spread of the mask and cannot eradicate the soul mutation caused by the Hōgyoku.

However, to produce this result in such a short time, Kisuke Urahara's technical skill is truly worthy of his praise.

He really shouldn't be underestimated.

"Lord Aizen."

Kaname Tōsen turned his head to the side and lowered his voice.

"Kisuke Urahara is actually giving those captains suppressants. Should we stop him?"

Aizen remained silent for a moment, then put the Hōgyoku back into his pocket.

His gaze shifted from Urahara to Unohana and Wang Xun.

"No need. The data we needed regarding the practical effects of the Hollowfication and the tolerance threshold of captains Vice-Captain-level for the Hōgyoku have all been collected. Our objective for today has been achieved."

He turned around, his back to the ruins.

"We have other plans, such as exposing the Quincy and framing Kisuke Urahara, which still need to be continued."

"It's time to make arrangements. Kisuke Urahara must be eliminated. As for these captains... he shouldn't be able to do anything about them in the short term, which will allow us to get rid of them."

As Aizen finished speaking...

Kaname Tōsen away the Suzumushi and followed closely behind.

Gin Ichimaru also turned around, glancing back at the white-haired figure slowly collapsing in the center of the ruins before leaving, his eyes narrowed.

A barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes.

The figures gradually disappeared into the distance, obscured by the illusory beauty of the Kyōka Suigetsu.

Seeing that the time was right, Urahara stood up from beside Shinji Hirako.

At this moment, Wang Xun knelt on one knee, his bone armor began to shatter and peel off, and his Hollowfication Reiatsu completely dissipated.

Unohana stood opposite him, gripping her Zanpakuto, breathing heavily.

"Captain Unohana."

Urahara quickly ran over and stood between the two.

"I have some potion to suppress Hollowfication. Let me see how it goes."

Unohana's gaze passed over Urahara's shoulder and landed on Wang Xun.

Taking advantage of the brief moment, Urahara crouched down and asked softly.

"Aizen is gone, isn't he?"

Wang Xun opened his eyes, glanced around at his surroundings, and then nodded slightly.

His breathing was heavy, and his wounds were covered in blood; he looked utterly miserable.

Urahara stood up, dusted off his knees, and turned to Unohana.

"I've checked. There were no problems after Wang Xun's Hollowfication faded."

"His physique is different from those captains; he has a much better tolerance for Hollowfication."

Unohana looked into Urahara's eyes and nodded gently.

Seeing Unohana's reaction, Urahara knew she had probably guessed something too. They understood each other without saying a word, and he continued...

"The Hollowfication beings are highly aggressive; once out of control, they become hostile to all living things around them, a fact that can be verified by the other captains as well."

"The most important issue now is how to resolve the Hollowfication issue affecting the captains."

Urahara frowned as he looked at the captains, whose condition had calmed down but remained very unstable.

It seems unlikely that they can completely eliminate the Hollowfication state from their bodies.

It seems that the only way to indirectly guide Hōgyoku is to use the Hollowfication to stabilize it in a certain normal state and maintain its rationality, which is already the limit.

It's unclear what Aizen's ultimate goal will be in developing the Hōgyoku.

Just how far can complete Hollowfication be achieved...?

Urahara was equally curious about this conclusion.

Unohana, who was standing to the side, sheathed her sword, walked past Urahara, and squatted down in front of Wang Xun.

Looking at Wang Xun, who was covered in wounds and whose Reiatsu was almost depleted, she bent down.

Pale green Kaidō Reishi surged from her palm, covering the deepest wound on Wang Xun's chest.

The warm, healing Reiatsu seeped into the subcutaneous tissue, repairing the torn muscle fibers and shattered bones.

Wang Xun felt his wounds healing at an extremely rapid pace.

Under the healing influence of the Unohana's Kaidō, Wang Xun a sense of peace that seeped into his very bones.

Unohana's fingers moved slowly along the edge of the wound, her Reishi precisely repairing every inch of the damaged tissue.

She kept her head down, her long hair hanging down to cover most of her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

Wang Xun lay on the gravel ground, slightly opening his eyes, staring at the drooping ends of Unohana, unsure of what to say.

The silence lasted for a moment.

Are you feeling better?

Unohana asked a question, her tone flat and revealing no emotion.

"... Much better."

Unohana paused for a moment.

The Reiryoku Kaidō to his hand suddenly became heavier, Wang Xun a muffled groan.

The healing Reiatsu penetrated deep into the wound, into the area that had not yet fully healed, bringing a sharp, throbbing pain.

"Is that so?"

Seeing Wang Xun's unspeakable suffering, Unohana withdrew her fingers from their normal force and Kaidō to a gentle tone.

She didn't look up at Wang Xun, but said something in a very low voice.

"When you get back, you must tell me everything completely."

"Nothing can be omitted."

He paused for a moment.

"Otherwise, the next time you swing your sword, it won't be to this extent."

Wang Xun remained silent for two seconds.

"... Yes, Captain."

The green light from the Kaidō continued to flow steadily across the wound.

To outsiders, this was simply a heartwarming scene of a captain treating his injured subordinate.

Urahara stood a few steps away, watching this scene, and wisely turned around to take care of the other Hollowfication captains.

Tessai Tsukabishi had already distributed the potions, and cracks appeared on the masks of the fallen captains and vice-captains, temporarily suppressing the Hollowfication process.

But the cracks are only temporary; beneath those broken marks, the bone is slowly trying to regrow.

Urahara squatted down beside Mashiro Kuna, checking her vital signs, but his gaze swept past the edge of the ruins and towards the empty hillside in the distance.

Aizen is gone.

Urahara withdrew his gaze, carefully laid Mashiro Kuna's head flat, and looked at Tessai Tsukabishi in the distance.

"Mr. Tessai, prepare to reseal the technique."

"I need a stable Reiatsu isolation field to gather all the Hollowfication entities together; subsequent processing cannot be carried out in this open environment."

Tessai Tsukabishi nodded, formed hand seals, and a large number of spell patterns emerged from the ground, constructing a semi-transparent barrier around the fallen captains.

Urahara moved quickly within the barrier, checking everything while mentally planning the next steps.

The inhibitors were only a temporary measure; the seeds of Hollowfication left in the souls of these people by the Hōgyoku were not eliminated.

To completely solve this problem, he needs time and more complex technology.

And a sufficiently safe place.

Seireitei, is it possible to ever return?

Urahara had a vague premonition that Aizen's next move might involve him.

Adding to the Quincy's plans, it's difficult for him to predict what will happen next.

Urahara raised his head and looked at Wang Xun, who was being treated by Unohana.

The latter also happened to be looking in their direction.

The two looked at each other from a distance of more than ten meters.

"Urahara, Aizen's actions won't end so easily. The Seireitei will thoroughly investigate this incident, and he will definitely find a scapegoat."

"Be careful, with the power of Kyōka Suigetsu, we have no way to prove ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Kisuke Urahara immediately realized what was going on.

What Wang Xun said is very likely. If Aizen is looking for such a target, then the most likely candidates are him and Wang Xun.

Urahara frowned, nodded slightly, and turned his head away again.

He faces many challenges.

But at least, the worst-case scenario has been temporarily averted.

After treating the last wound on Wang Xun's body, Unohana withdrew her hand and stood up.

She glanced down at Wang Xun.

Wang Xun also looked up at her.

She said nothing more, turned and walked towards the Hollowfication captains, preparing to use the Kaidō for further stabilization.

After walking a few steps, she stopped.

"Get up slowly; the bones have just set, and strenuous activity could cause them to break again."

After speaking to Wang Xun, Unohana did not turn around and continued walking forward.

She frowned as she looked at the several Hollowfication captains.

Even with her hundreds of years of medical experience, she had never encountered such a situation before.

Urahara crouched beside Mashiro Kuna, his fingertips probing the Reiatsu Reiatsu node on the side of her neck, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

The inhibitory effect of the drug is waning.

Although the cracks on the mask were widening, new bone fibers kept emerging from the edges of the cracks, attempting to mend the gaps torn open by the drug.

The gap that the Hōgyoku left in the core of her soul is instinctively resisting the external suppression.

He stood up and walked to the next person.

Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi's situation is slightly better; he has a strong Reiatsu foundation, a strong soul-bearing capacity, and the medicine can last for a while longer.

Love Aikawa and Lisa Yadōmaru lay side by side, breathing heavily.

Hiyori Sarugaki's Hollowfication process is the most unstable; the Hollowfication Reiatsu within her body is fluctuating violently at an irregular frequency.

After Urahara finished checking everyone and stood up again, Unohana was just withdrawing her hand from beside Shinji Hirako.

Her expression remained calm, but Urahara noticed that her brows were furrowed more deeply than usual.

"How's it going, Captain Unohana?"

Urahara asked.

"There's nothing we can do."

Unohana frowned and sighed softly.

"Although the Reiatsu of those at the Vice-Captain-level and above could withstand this situation of breaking the boundaries of the soul, it wouldn't last long."

"Their souls are undergoing irreversible changes; the composition of their Reiatsu is being rewritten at its most fundamental level."

She stood up and looked at the people lying on the ground.

"Your medicine can temporarily suppress the spread of the mask; the effect is indeed quite good. Under normal circumstances, this is already a remarkable achievement."

"But the situation has now gone beyond the realm of Kaidō. After their soul boundaries were torn apart, they are slowly moving towards the void."

"If this process continues, it will eventually evolve into the Soul Suicide. Their bodies will not be able to withstand the coexistence of two completely opposite forces in the same body, until one of them completely destroys the other."

"This is a situation I've never encountered before; the Kaidō has almost no effect on this kind of structural damage to the soul."

"Even the Zero Division's Tenjirō Kirinji couldn't repair this level of damage at its root."

She remained silent for a moment.

"Unless... we can find the source of this change and analyze how its energy works."

She looked at Urahara, her eyes now filled with scrutiny.

"I'm curious how you make those potions. Perhaps you have some ideas?"